This parmesan crusted chicken is super crispy, cheesy, and delicious! It is one of my favorite ways to switch up classic baked chicken breasts. Plus, it is super simple to make and goes really well with a variety of dishes!
Parmesan crusted chicken is going to be your new favorite comfort food. The juicy chicken is covered in a flavorful parmesan panko breading that is super crispy and delicious.
Served with fettuccine Alfredo, mashed potatoes, steamed vegetables, or crispy baked potatoes, these breaded chicken cutlets make for a delicious and comforting meal!
Ingredients
To make these easy parmesan crusted chicken cutlets, you’ll need the following ingredients.
- Chicken cutlets: You can either buy pre-cut chicken cutlets or use chicken breasts and cut them in half so you have two thin chicken pieces.
- Panko breadcrumbs: Panko breadcrumbs are the secret ingredient to make this breaded chicken super crispy! It is available in many grocery stores, so you should be able to find it.
- Parmesan: Use a block of parmesan cheese and grate it to make the delicious parmesan panko breading.
- Eggs: Eggs are used to bread the chicken cutlets.
- All-purpose flour: Another ingredient you’ll need for breading the chicken is flour.
- Seasonings: Salt, pepper, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning are perfect to add some extra flavor! You can substitute the Italian seasoning with other dried herbs like rosemary, thyme, oregano, or basil.
- Parsley and lemon: I love to serve the chicken with chopped parsley and lemon wedges, but these two ingredients are optional.
How to make parmesan crusted chicken
Follow these steps to make this simple and crispy parmesan crusted chicken:
- Prepare the flour, eggs, and breading: In a large shallow bowl, combine the flour and seasonings. In another bowl, whisk together the grated parmesan cheese and panko breadcrumbs. Then take another bowl and beat the eggs.
- Bread the chicken cutlets: Now take a chicken cutlet and cover it evenly in flour. Next, dip the chicken into the egg bowl. Then dredge the chicken cutlet in the breadcrumbs until it is fully coated.
- Pan-fry the breaded chicken: Now preheat some oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Pan-fry the chicken cutlets for 3-4 minutes on each side until they are golden brown.
- Serve: Garnish the parmesan crusted chicken with chopped parsley and serve with lemon wedges. Enjoy!
Tips & Notes
Before you try this parmesan crusted chicken recipe, read through the following tips so everything turns out perfectly.
- Don’t use chicken breasts. Don’t get me wrong, you can absolutely use chicken breasts! But always cut them in half. You want the chicken breasts thin enough so that the breading doesn’t burn while the chicken isn’t cooked through yet. So either buy pre-cut chicken cutlets or cut chicken breasts into thin halves.
- Pat the chicken dry. Always pat the chicken dry, especially when you are making this parmesan crusted chicken recipe. Just use paper towels to remove any excess moisture.
- Wait until the oil is hot. You want the oil hot so the panko breadcrumbs become crispy and golden brown.
- Don’t move the chicken in the pan. This allows the chicken cutlets to cook and brown evenly.
- Use an instant read meat thermometer. If you are unsure about the right cook time, you can use an instant read meat thermometer. Chicken is safe to eat at 165 °F. Or check the chicken by cutting it in the middle. There shouldn’t be any pink left when the chicken is cooked through.
Other Cooking Methods
If you don’t want to pan-fry the chicken cutlets, you can bake them in the oven or use an air fryer. Here is how you prepare the chicken with these two methods:
- Air fryer: You can definitely use your air fryer if you own one! Cook the chicken at 400 °F for 10-15 minutes, depending on how thick your chicken cutlets are. Flip them once after 5 minutes so they brown evenly. And spray them with olive oil spray before cooking them so they turn out crispy and nicely browned.
- Oven: Another option is making baked parmesan crusted chicken! This option is great if you want to make a sheet pan dinner with roasted potatoes and vegetables. The chicken takes about 15 minutes at 400 °F. Spray it with olive oil spray and flip it once after half of the cook time has passed. And if you add vegetables and potatoes, be sure to check their cook time so everything finishes at the same time without being undercooked or overcooked!
What to serve with parmesan crusted chicken?
The great thing about this parmesan crusted chicken is that there are endless possibilities for serving it! It goes really well with lots of different side dishes, so I will give you just a little inspiration. Feel free to combine it as you like!
- Fettuccine Alfredo: Creamy fettuccine Alfredo pairs perfectly with these crispy chicken cutlets! Add a few vegetables to your Alfredo sauce and enjoy your meal!
- Potatoes: You can serve potatoes in all shapes and forms: mashed potatoes, roasted potatoes, homemade fries, potato pancakes, or fried potatoes. They all go super well with these crispy chicken cutlets!
- Creamy mushroom sauce: I absolutely love schnitzel with creamy mushroom sauce, and this parmesan crusted chicken tastes just as amazing with the sauce!
- Side salad: If you want to add more vegetables to your meal, make this lemon arugula salad with shaved parmesan! It tastes amazing with the breaded chicken.
- Vegetables: Another delicious option is preparing roasted or steamed vegetables. I absolutely love asparagus, broccolini, zucchini, cauliflower, and so many other vegetables.
- Sandwich: If I have any leftover chicken, I’ll usually make delicious crispy chicken sandwiches for lunch! I like to add a little bit of ketchup, cucumbers, tomatoes, and lettuce. And if I feel a little extra, I’ll add fried onions and a slice of cheese. It’s so good!
Frequently Asked Questions
You can easily make this recipe gluten-free by using gluten-free flour and gluten-free panko breadcrumbs. Follow the recipe as described and enjoy!
The two ingredients you need to make them crispy are panko breadcrumbs and oil. So whichever method you choose, always be sure to use oil and panko breadcrumbs.
I recommend reheating the chicken in your oven or air fryer! The chicken tends to be less crispy if you reheat it in the microwave. But if you don’t care about that, feel free to use your microwave.
More simple and tasty chicken recipes
I absolutely love juicy and delicious chicken! Here are some of my favorite recipes that you might love, too.
Parmesan Crusted Chicken
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup panko breadcrumbs
- ⅓ cup grated parmesan cheese
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary or Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 eggs
- 4 chicken cutlets
- 3 tablespoons avocado oil or vegetable oil
- chopped parsley and lemon wedges for serving
Instructions
- In a large shallow bowl, combine the panko breadcrumbs and grated parmesan cheese. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, garlic powder, dried rosemary, and black pepper. In a third bowl, beat the eggs.
- Now take a chicken cutlet and cover it in flour. Next, dip the chicken into the egg bowl until it is evenly covered. Then add the chicken to the breadcrumb bowl and flip until it is covered. Repeat these steps for all chicken cutlets.
- Preheat the avocado oil or vegetable oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, cook the chicken for 3-4 minutes on each side until it is golden brown.
- Garnish with parsley. Then serve the parmesan crusted chicken cutlets with your sides of choice and lemon wedges. Enjoy!
Notes
- You can use chicken breasts instead of pre-cut chicken cutlets. Just cut the chicken breasts into two thin halves.
Carrie king
Made this & it was simply delicious